Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-13

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The take below gives information about the underground railway systems in six cities.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Underground Railway Systems

City	Date opened	Kilometers of route	Passengers per year (in millions)
London	1863	394	775
Paris	1900	199	1191
Tokyo	1927	155	1927
Washington DC	1976	126	144
Kyoto	1981	11	45
Los Angeles	2001	28	50

Student answer (Band 4.5)

The table illustrate, that the railway underground system in cities and it tell us about it kilometers of his one city route and also how many people are travelled by system in year.

In six cities, the underground railway system had started between 1863 to 2001. Firstly, it start in London in 1863 and its route in kilometers are 394 also by this system 775 millions passengers is travel per year. Secondly its open in Paris in 1900 and 1191 millions passengers is travel by this system and its route is 199km, and another system is opened in Tokyo in 1976,it route in kilometers is 155,and 1927 millions passengers are travel by this system.

Moreover, Washington DC had started in 1976 and its route travel 126km, 144 millions passengers were travelled per year and the last two cities Kyoto and Los Angeles are established in between 1981 to 2001, and its route is 11 to 28 kilometers in this system the passengers are per year is between 45 to 50 millions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You include information about all six cities and report the opening dates, route lengths and annual passenger figures, so the response is relevant to the table. However, the main features are not clearly selected or summarised: there is no overview identifying, for example, London as the oldest and longest system, or Tokyo as the busiest. A key factual error also weakens the report: Tokyo opened in 1927, not 1976. The final comparison gives ranges for Kyoto and Los Angeles but does not clearly match each figure to its city. These omissions and inaccuracies mean the task is addressed only minimally, rather than presenting a clear summary of the most important patterns. Add an overview and check each figure against the table.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic sequence, moving from the oldest systems to Washington DC and then the two newest, and words such as “Firstly,” “Secondly” and “Moreover” signal transitions. This gives the reader some organisation. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the Tokyo sentence contains the incorrect date, and the final sentence combines two cities and several ranges without making the comparisons easy to follow. The opening sentence is also difficult to interpret, so it does not establish the report’s focus effectively. Organise the information into clearer groups, such as older and newer systems, and use separate sentences to compare the figures for each city. This would make the connections less mechanical and easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

Your vocabulary is basic but includes relevant terms such as “route,” “passengers,” “opened” and “established,” allowing the reader to recognise the subject and most data. However, several phrases are repetitive or imprecise, including “by this system” and “its route in kilometers.” Some word combinations are unnatural, such as “the railway underground system” and “the passengers are per year.” These choices sometimes make the intended meaning harder to understand, and there is little variation in how comparisons are expressed. Use standard table-reporting language and precise terms for the figures, while avoiding repeated wording. For example, describe a system as having a route length and state how many passengers it carries annually.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to connect information in longer sentences, particularly when describing Paris and Tokyo and when grouping Kyoto with Los Angeles. However, sentence structures are limited, and frequent errors in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence boundaries can distort meaning. Examples include “The table illustrate” and “775 millions passengers is travel,” where the subject–verb relationship and verb construction are faulty. The sentence beginning “Moreover, Washington DC had started” also joins several pieces of information with weak punctuation, making it difficult to process. Practise accurate simple clauses first, then combine them with controlled linking structures. Check subject–verb agreement, past-tense forms for opening dates, and punctuation between complete ideas.

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